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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. club — for golf
  4. can — a tin
  5. club — for dancing
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. date — the fruit
  8. bat — the animal
  9. bound — obliged
  10. band — a music group
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. toast — bread
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. club — a group
  15. bound — certain
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. bulb — for light
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. bound — tied together
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. bulb — for light
  22. can — to be able to
  23. band — a ring
  24. can — a tin

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com